CRUSH TIBET SEPARATISTS, CHINA ORDERS AHEAD OF NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATION

By Yangchen Lhamu 

DHARAMSALA, 16 Sept: Chen Wenqing, China’s top security official has made it clear that maintaining stability and preventing independence movements are the main goals of security forces in Tibet during a recent visit to the region, according to multiple news reports. 

Chen, the head of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission – the ruling Communist Party’s top security body has ordered a crackdown on separatist activities and tightened control over religious affairs in Tibet, aiming to prevent unrest and maintain stability. He concluded a 4-day tour of Tibet on Friday, his first since July’s party plenum and ahead of 1st October National Day celebrations.

China’s National Day, marked on 1 October, commemorates the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 when Mao Zedong declared its establishment. China is currently gearing up to celebrate the 75th anniversary, thereby tightening security in the so-called sensitive regions of the Tibet Autonomous Region as well as the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province.

Chen’s visit follows a recent meeting between US officials and His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New York. Concluding his trip, Chen oversaw security operations in Tibet and directed efforts to prevent separatism and maintain stability.

Earlier, on 3rd July in Beijing, China’s Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong had vowed to intensify the crackdown on organised crime, building on previous successes. He had urged a comprehensive approach to eliminate mafia-style gangs, targeting both symptoms and root causes to ensure public safety and happiness.

Hence, this is not the first time that China has ordered a crackdown to prevent possible unrest in Tibet.